CHAPTER - 9

CHEEKS AND RINGS

A bit’s action is equal to the sum of its parts. In this chapter, we’ll review the parts that remain outside the horse’s mouth—the cheeks or the rings for snaffle bits, and the shanks for leverage bits.

Before we begin, let’s consider the various overall types of bits and how they function. Bits are divided into four general families based on how they work:

•   Direct contact bits: the snaffle

•   Leverage bits: curbs, including Pelhams, Kimberwickes, and Western-style curbs

•   Gag bits: elevators, bubble bits, and European gags

•   Bitless: hackamores, mechanical hackamores, cross-under bridles, LG bridles, and rope halters

All these bits work on different parts of the head and mouth:

•   Lips

•   Bars

•   Tongue

•   Chin groove

•   Poll

•   Palate

•   Cheeks (for some bitless models)

There’s a lot of crossover within those four categories, but by and large, every bit you see can be grouped according to how it attaches to the headstall or bridle, the type of mouthpiece it has, and the kind of action it applies to the horse’s head and mouth when pressure is applied. With combination bits coming into fashion, you may find one bit that fits into several categories depending on which parts of the apparatus you attach to the reins and how they apply pressure to the horse’s head.

As we discussed, the bit is a tool used to communicate subtle signals to the horse. It isn’t the steering wheel, although many people think so—the guiding of the horse comes through many different well-coordinated and timed signals. Turning the horse requires changing the balance of the seat, directing the body, and adding leg pressure. The well-trained horse and rider pair barely use the reins at all. Nonetheless, a bit, just like a carpenter’s hammer, needs to be well made, balanced in the horse’s mouth, and the correct size.

THE ANATOMY OF A BIT

The horse’s anatomy; the rider’s aids; the size and shape of the bit, the mouthpiece, and the bit rings; and the material from which it’s made all factor in to the bit decision. While we’ll talk about the four families in detail in chapter 10, you’ll need to know the parts of the bit, and there is a common vocabulary. Just as you learned the parts of the horse, parts of a bridle, and so on, using the right words to describe pieces of the bit can help you identify which parts of the bit have the most impact on different parts of the horse.

Most bits consist of the cheek pieces, rings or shanks, the bit and bridle rings, and the mouthpiece. The different parts of a mouthpiece are called the canons. A canon is the part from the joint to the ring in a jointed bit, and from the middle of the port to the shank in a curb bit.

While we call the straps that attach the bit to the rest of the bridle “cheek pieces,” the words “cheek” or “cheek piece” are also used to describe the part of the bit that is in contact with the horse’s lower face. When the attachment between the bridle cheek piece and the bit is round, we usually refer to it as a bit ring. When it’s straight, we might call it a cheek piece, upper shank, or the purchase (for a leverage bit).

For most direct contact or snaffle bits, there are four basic families of bit rings, each with a different effect. Choosing the right bit has a lot to do with choosing the right bit rings.

A bit consists of the cheeks or shanks, the joints (for linked bits), the canons, and the mouthpiece.

SNAFFLE BIT RINGS

Loose Rings

Loose rings are not “fixed” onto the canons of the bit. Instead, they are attached through holes drilled in the mouthpiece, sliding through the mouthpiece as well as the rein and bridle loops easily. The mouthpiece, if it is the correct size, moves both vertically and horizontally in the mouth. There is also just a fraction of an inch of “give” in the space between the mouthpiece and ring. When the rider takes up the reins, the vibration of the reins on the rings gives the signal that something is about to happen. Because both the mouthpiece and the reins move on the rings, there is some play in a loose ring bit. Some loose ring proponents believe it is one of the best bits to try if you want your horse to salivate because of its overall flexibility. In general, the loose ring version is considered the “softer” version of most bits, because the impact of the rider’s hands on the reins is diffused by the play in the rings and the movement of the mouthpiece. The rings themselves can be smaller, like those found in a bradoon (or bridoon); quite large; or anywhere in between. The rule of thumb is that the smaller the ring is, the less the bit moves in the mouth, and the more instantaneous the rein pressure. The wider the ring, the more steering advantage the rider has because of the pressure on the opposite cheek, but the more delayed the contact will be with the horse’s mouth. One disadvantage of loose rings is that, if not fit correctly, rings moving through the holes in the canons can pinch the horse’s lips.

The horse feels pressure from the bit on the lips, the cheeks, the poll and the nose, in addition to the pressure points inside of his mouth.

Eggbutt, D-Ring, Full Cheek

In general, these three styles of cheeks are all attached to the mouthpieces through hinges. The mouthpiece doesn’t move vertically on the rings. The canons are wider where they connect to the bit cheeks. They have hinged, or swivel, cheeks, meaning you can use a direct rein to encourage a horse to turn because the ring moves away from the horse’s face before the pressure on the outside ring is engaged. It also gives the rider the ability to ask for lateral flexion. As such, these three varieties of cheeks tend to work well for horses that don’t turn well or need a slightly quicker direct rein action. When the rider applies direct rein to turn a horse, the bit’s cheek applies more opposite cheek pressure than a loose ring. It will also be a more instantaneous sensation for the horse. Because the bit and the cheek are part of the same apparatus, there is no up-and-down play in the bit.

The eggbutt is shaped like an egg, with one side attached to the canons through either a hinge or a weld. The bit rings can swivel front and back but the mouthpiece is solidly attached and there is very little vertical play except through the positioning of the rider’s hands. As the rider picks up the reins, the horse immediately feels the bit move in his mouth. The eggbutt offers a very direct contact and stability in the mouth. An eggbutt (as well as the D-ring and full cheek, below), is an excellent bit for younger horses who are insecure in their turning skills and their acceptance of the contact. It’s a steadier signal from the rider.

The D-ring has a straight bar attached to the canons and a D-shaped ring. It was originally a racing cheek but morphed into a general riding bit. It is quite popular among hunter/jumper and English pleasure riders. Like the eggbutt, it makes contact on the cheeks and has a steady feel in the mouthpiece with little vertical movement. In fact, the difference between the two has much more to do with fashion than with function. The D-ring, because of the straightness of the piece that lies against the horse’s face, is also an excellent bit to reinforce steering. The reins have more slide with a D-ring than with an eggbutt since the ring is rounder, but the cheeks are straighter, giving the horse more turning security. Also, in many D-rings, the rings themselves are rounded rather than flat.

The bit ring with the most ability to influence the horse’s steering is the full cheek. It has straight cheek pieces that run an inch or more above and below the mouthpiece, with a solid ring to attach to the reins. The full cheek is an excellent bit for younger horses who may not understand steering, because there is much surface area next to the horse’s cheek. With full cheek snaffles, it is very important that the tops of the cheeks have keepers on them to hold them in place. Otherwise they can poke the horse’s nose or get caught on shirts, fences, or other protruding objects. The full cheek is a very popular and effective bit. The attachment of the tops of the cheeks to the bridle gives this bit a degree of poll leverage as well.

Full Cheek

Eggbutt Rings

D-Ring

Fulmer

The Fulmer cheek is a full cheek with a loose ring instead of a fixed ring. The Fulmer combines the advantages of the fixed cheek with those of the loose ring. Because the rings aren’t welded solidly onto the cheek pieces, it provides a little more play in the rein contact but has the steering power of the full cheek. It’s an excellent bit for those who want more lateral control but prefer a little softer option with more subtle signals. The keepers on the bridle can, if used correctly, provide just a little leverage pressure similar to a very light curb bit.

With all the hinged ring bits described above, horses that lean on the bit will find a solid place on which to rest their heads. Loose rings discourage the horse from resting on the contact instead of carrying his head and neck himself, provided he is working properly over his topline. D-rings, eggbutts, and full-cheeks are most popular in the hunter ring, where jaw flexion isn’t as necessary as a soft, forward carriage. Western riders who use direct rather than neck reining like D-rings and loose rings (which they call O-rings).

Baucher, Hanging Snaffle, B-Ring

The Baucher cheek, hanging snaffle, and fillis are all the different names for a single bit. While in theory these bits are direct contact, the extra length of the cheek created by the distance from the bridle ring to the rein ring adds an element of poll pressure to bits with these cheeks.

Fulmer

To understand what happens to a horse’s head when using a leverage bit, simulate the action by pulling back on the bottom rings. The bridle rings go forward and downward at the same time. This places pressure on the poll and presses the mouthpiece against the tongue.

The flexed Western bridle horse is ridden with a loose rein until correction is needed. The length of the shanks determines the amount of leverage.

For the sake of this book, we’ll use “Baucher” to describe a bit with two round rings: one very small ring attached to the cheek pieces of the bridle, and the other, larger ring attached to the reins and the canons. This style of cheek, named after Francois Baucher, the controversial nineteenth-century French riding master, is suspended slightly above the tongue and below the palate. When rein contact is applied, the bit applies pressure on the bars of the mouth and the cheek attachments pull slightly downward, applying pressure on the horse’s poll. Because there is some length between the cheek piece attachment and the main ring, this bit has a slight leverage action in the same way the full cheek attached to the cheek pieces with keepers has some poll pressure to help encourage flexion and roundness.

From the trotting and driving worlds come the half- and full-spoon cheek. While not very popular for saddle horses these days, the half-spoon is still used in trotting and driving circles. Just as it sounds, the half-spoon has a small bar hanging downward from the bit ring and it has a flattened out end like a spoon. The full spoon has pieces above and below the mouthpiece. Their action is very similar to the full cheek, but without the pointy ends and the keepers. The full spoon does not have any leverage.

Within these categories of cheeks are many variations in length and width. No matter the size, width, or shape, all snaffle cheeks are very much variations on the following theme: when the rider applies pressure on the rein, the horse feels it directly on his mouth. There is little pressure on the poll and none on the chin groove because snaffle bits lack curb straps. That’s one of the reasons the Baucher, while applying some pressure, is not a true leverage bit.

SHANKS AND LEVERAGE CHEEKS

As we saw in the historical section of this book, the shank has been around almost as long as the horse has been domesticated. Early riders figured out that poll pressure brought the horse’s head down, which made him easier to control. This was especially true for early chariot horses, and thus some of the first shanked bits were developed for this use.

Understanding how and when to use shanked and leverage bits requires both a minor knowledge of physics and an understanding of basic horse anatomy. Whether they are short or long, English or Western style, the laws of physics apply.

Consider this: The reins are attached below the mouthpiece, while the cheeks are attached to the cheek pieces of the bridle above the mouthpiece. If you rest the mouthpiece in the palm of your hand with the front of the bit facing away from you, and pull the rein rings back as if you were applying rein contact, the upper shanks come forward and the mouthpiece swivels forward in your palm.

This action is called the “balance” of the bit. The shape and angle of the shanks will often change the balance. If you draw an imaginary straight line from the mouthpiece to the ground, notice if the bit is straight up and down, tilted forward, or tilted backward against that imaginary line.

The majority of English shanked bits—Pelhams and Weymouths, for example—are straight balanced. As the shank curves back, the balance shifts as well. Flat, rather than round, bridle rings also help a bit’s balance because the cheek pieces of the bridle are more securely fastened and do not slide after the action is engaged.

Given that the upper ring is attached to the cheek pieces, which are then attached to or are part of the crownpiece of the bridle, the action of pulling back on the reins pulls the crown piece down against the horse’s poll. Simultaneously, the curb strap, which rests loosely in the horse’s chin groove, is tightened against the horse’s skin by the forward rotation of the upper rings and the mouthpiece.

In general, curb bits have two or sometimes three loops through which to attach the reins. The angle and the length of the shank determine the severity of the bit and the amount of “signal” the horse receives before he feels the full effects of the curb strap, mouth pressure, and poll pressure. The shanks can be fixed or they can be hinged (or “loose jawed” in Western) which allows more lateral flexibility. More advanced reining horse trainers or riders tend to like the lateral action of the hinged shanks more than the fixed shank, which has no flexibility when sideways pressure is applied.

The shanked bit has three important measurements. The first is the length of the shank overall. The second is the length of the shank from the mouthpiece to the bottom of the shanks, where the rein rings are located. The third is the length of shank from the mouthpiece to the bridle cheek piece attachments. The smaller the distance between the top of the shanks and the mouthpiece, the quicker the action of the bit. This is called the purchase—from the mouthpiece to the bridle attachment.

The amount of pressure, the quickness of the bit’s response to rein pressure, and the time it takes to engage the curb strap or chain varies from bit to bit by the ratio of the length of the lower shanks to the upper shanks.

The curb strap or chain can be made of various materials with differing uses. In the English arena, it’s most common to see a curb chain. Just like bits, curb chains have varying levels of severity, from mild to more severe. The single-link curb chain is one of the more serious options, but it’s largely gone out of fashion. On English bridles, double bridles, and bits such as the Kimberwicke, the chain of choice has double-links, which make it much softer since the links form a relatively smooth surface. Curb chains have a single link that dangles off the center, through which you can slip a lip strap (sometimes called a bit hobble in the Western arena). The lip strap prevents the horse from grabbing the shanks of the bit. It doesn’t apply to all bits—you primarily find lip strap attachments on Pelhams and Weymouths, but not all bits have that extra loop, and not all curb chains have a place to slide the lip strap through. At the sides of the chain are three or four links that allow the chain to be tightened or loosened on the hooks that lie close to the mouthpiece. The dangling link in the center clues the rider as to whether or not the chain is centered. The chain must lie absolutely flat against the horse’s chin groove. To do this you have to twist the chain until all the links are lying flat against each other.

Curb chains come in varying link lengths. The flat link chain is a single-link chain that covers a wider area. Thin chains are more severe than thick chains. Some riders prefer the chain, but will cover it with a rubber or gel curb guard to soften the contact with the chin groove. The extra links can be snipped off, or simply left to hang there, although they could very well get caught on something.

The Western curb bit is more likely to use a leather strap than a chain, although either is an option. The properly adjusted curb strap on a Western bit should lie two fingers’ width between the strap and the horse. A too-tight strap may either numb your horse’s reaction or incite him to argue with you. A too-loose strap is ineffective. A chain in Western tack is usually attached with leather loops. Some Western riders do twist their chains for a quicker response, but this is illegal at horse shows. If you need to twist your curb chain, you might consider a different bit or better training. A trained Western horse will be light in the bridle and won’t have any need for the extra “reminder” of the curb chain.

For both Western and English horses, the curb bit applies pressure to the poll and to the tongue, bars, and lips.

How Leverage Bits Work

Contrary to the snaffle, the curb applies indirect pressure on three different points. As the rider makes contact with the reins, the horse feels pressure on his poll, his mouth (through the bit), and his chin (through the curb strap).

•   The shorter the shank, the quicker the horse feels the rein pressure.

•   Straight shanks are quicker than S-shaped or curved “grazer” shanks.

•   The longer the shank, the less rein pressure is needed to signal the horse.

•   The ratio of purchase to lower shank determines the ounces of pressure the horse feels on the chin groove and the poll. For example, a one-inch purchase and a four-inch lower shank produce a 1:3 ratio—or three ounces of pressure on the properly adjusted curb strap for every one ounce of rein pressure from the rider. That same bit has 1:4 ratio of purchase to full shank, thus four ounces of pressure on the bit in the horse’s mouth for every one ounce placed on the reins.

A long lower shank in relation to the upper shank (or purchase) increases the leverage, and thus the pressure, on the chin groove where the curb strap is resting and on the bars of the mouth. A long upper shank in relation to the lower shank increases the pressure on the poll, but does not apply as much pressure on the bars of the mouth.

In Western bits, it’s not uncommon to see very, very long shanks on horses that seem quite light in the bridle, with arched necks and heads perpendicular to the ground. Note that those shanks are used, at this stage of training, in very delicate ways—a slight lift of the hand in conjunction with a leg and seat cue instantly signals the horse and puts him quickly into position. These long-shanked bits are not for beginner riders or for green horses and should be used with great care and caution.

In the English-style leverage bits, such as the Pelham and the Weymouth, there are frequently two sets of reins—one attached to a direct-contact bit. In the Pelham, that’s just a direct rein loop on the shank, and with the Weymouth, meant to be used with a double bridle, there’s a snaffle bit in the horse’s mouth as well. The leverage is applied quickly and judiciously through the use of a second rein, while the snaffle contact is more constant. Most English leverage bits tend to be shorter shanked, and thus the leverage action is very quick and less forceful than in the long-shanked, single rein Western versions.

The Kimberwicke falls into its own category because it is a hybrid leverage and snaffle bit. It is used with a single rein, and it comes with two different kinds of cheeks: one is a regular D-shaped ring, and the other is slotted. The slotted version is called the Uxeter. Both types of Kimberwickes are leverage bits because they have a curb chain that engages as the rider applies rein contact. The closer the rein is to the mouthpiece, the less fulcrum action there is, and the less leverage. So, when the bit is attached to a regular, non-slotted cheek piece, it has very little leverage because the reins are connected directly to the mouthpiece. A slight upward motion of the hands engages the leverage through the tightening of the curb chain.

English leverage bits and bridles often come with two sets of reins, giving the rider the option of working with just the snaffle while letting the leverage rein remain slack until needed. Note that the chain hook should be on the other side of the bit ring, close to the face.

Like a Pelham, the Kimberwicke uses the action of the curb chain to engage some leverage. Above, a D-ring Kimberwicke with less leverage.

On the slotted version, you can choose a direct rein or a leverage rein. The lower slot on the ring produces the most leverage on the poll and indirect pressure on the bars.

This leverage action is slightly different from that of the Western curb. Primarily because English riders like to feel more contact with the bit and train their horses thusly, many English-style curb bits apply more direct bit pressure through the snaffle rein, giving the rider the option of only using the curb or leverage rein when they need it, letting the rein lie slack against the horse’s neck the rest of the time. Sometimes this is accomplished by having the rider hold a steady but light contact with both the snaffle and the curb, applying a little more wrist action to activate the curb or to remind the horse to balance as needed. There are also several options for how to hold both sets of reins—they can cross each other, or they can be straight from mouthpiece to hand. The choice is largely based on rider preference, but does have an impact on how quickly the horse feels the action of the curb and what the rider needs to do with his hands to engage it.

The angle of the shanks means they stay out of the way of the working cowboy’s ropes, and allow the horse to graze during downtime.

An angled bit like this S-shaped version diffuses the leverage, making it less severe than a straight-shanked curb.

Shank Shapes

Western shanks can be the canvases upon which metal artists express themselves. Shanks have been decorated with a great variety of shapes, styles, and icons for thousands of years.

In general, Western shanks come in the following shapes:

Curved grazer shanks: They curve back toward the horse. Their original purpose was to stay out of the way of the ground as the working cow horse grazed. They also stay out of the way of the rope as the cowboy throws it toward a cow.

The rider in this photo is taking a little more contact, as evidenced by the angle of the shanks. The reins are heavy enough that the rider has to do very little with his hands for the horse to feel it in his mouth.

S-shaped: These are also frequently found in Western bits and driving bits and have several purposes. One is to soften the leverage. The second is to keep the shanks away from the horse’s mouth. S-shaped shanks also tend to be more decorative than straight shanks.

7-shaped: Similar to an S-shaped shank, these shanks assure the horse won’t be able to grab the shank in his mouth. The angle of the shank diffuses the leverage on the poll and chin.

Driving shanks: Although we have not spent much time on driving or racing bits in this book so far, it is worth mentioning that many of the bits we use today were first developed for use with carriage horses. Driving bits have the same general mouthpiece selections as riding bits. The shanks in a Liverpool-style carriage bit are long, straight, and slotted to accommodate multiple rein sets.

The 7-shaped shank has slightly more leverage than the S-shaped, because it has straighter shanks.

Driving bits such as this Liverpool have straight shanks with many slots for different rein connections and leverage strength.

Other driving shanks include the elbow, similar to the 7-shank, and the Buxton, which is similar to an S-shaped shank. Both have a rein ring and two slots.